


destination: forever

by noyabeans (snowdrops)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Datekougyou | Date Tech, Gen, Gen Work, Graduation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-21 13:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11358876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowdrops/pseuds/noyabeans
Summary: just because they're graduating doesn't mean everything has to change.“This next step I take,” Kenji says, pulling words out of thin air, “is the start of… something. I don’t know what, but something.”Onagawa snorts. “No shit, Futakuchi. Let’s get going.”





	destination: forever

**12:03 AM** **  
** 12:03AM: **Onagawa:** Did you hear that joke about the wall? I’m still trying to get over it.

 **12:19 AM** **  
** 12:19AM: **Futakuchi:** Go to sleep, pantaloons. You're gonna be late for graduation.

 **8:12 AM** **  
** 8:12AM: **Nametsu:** ✨ Good morning everyone, it's graduation day! ✨

 **8:57 AM** **  
** Aone is already at the bus stop when he arrives – but that's to be expected. Aone's bus is always six minutes earlier than his. He nods when Kenji pushes through the throng of students. “Morning,” Kenji calls.

“Morning,” Aone says, already starting towards the main gate. After almost three whole years of walking with Aone from the bus stop to school, it’s surreal that this is the last time. Then again, graduation’s just a ceremony, a day everyone has to go through to grow up and move on. It’s not like the world ends with it.

He keeps pace with Aone as they march into school.

 **11:04 AM** **  
** Graduation, Kenji soon discovers, is a miserable event. Actually getting their graduation certificates takes a grand total of half an hour, followed by the principal’s speech, which takes just as long, and an unending number of speeches from other faculty and students.

It’s incredibly boring. Halfway through the speech by the student president, Kenji gives up all pretense of paying attention and pulls out his phone.

10:48AM: **Obara:** So are we going to visit the team later?  
10:52AM: **Nametsu:** of course! we gotta take a group pic!  
10:55AM: **Onagawa:** Am I the only one who’s bored here?  
11:00AM: **Nametsu:** did Obara fall asleep? i can see him from here, he’s not moving  
11:11AM: **Obara:** I am not sleeping  
11:12AM: **Onagawa:** Sure you aren’t  
11:12AM: **Obara:** I’m not!

Kenji watches the chat bubbles pop up with a smile and doesn’t add anything.

 **12:06 PM** **  
** His mouth is cramping from smiling for all the cameras, but his classmates are slowly trickling out of their homeroom, last tears shed and final hugs exchanged as the post-ceremony haze drifts away.

12:07PM: **Nametsu:** meet in the canteen?  
12:08PM: **Onagawa:** K

Kenji taps on Aone’s arm and gives him a look. Aone nods, and they make their way out with a final, deep bow to their teacher, the yearbook and diploma heavy in Kenji’s hands.

 **12:13 PM** **  
** The canteen is abuzz, people milling around everywhere. Some friends from other classes catch them for more photos before they get to where Obara, Onagawa and Nametsu are sitting.

“Took you long enough.” Obara grins.

Kenji smirks. “Since when were guests of honour ever on time?”

 **1:02 PM** **  
** Icon of their group chat now updated to a smushed group shot against the canteen wall, the five of them enter the gym. Koganegawa launches himself at Aone when they appear, heedless of Sakunami’s call of “Careful, Kogane!”

Aone, stalwart member of the Iron Wall till the end, barely stumbles under Koganegawa’s weight. The other graduates crowd around them, knocking shoulders and bumping chests as they whoop and laugh.

 **3.30 PM** **  
** The team has a practice match today, which is a perfect excuse for them to sit in and “make sure we can graduate in peace”, as Nametsu says.

Coach rolls his eyes, not buying her excuse, but maybe it’s the finality of graduation day that allows him to make an exception. Kenji’s eyes follow the yellow training vests on Dateko’s side of the court, watching how they form up again and again, blocking all of the opponent’s attempts to score. Koganegawa pulls off a clean dump shot, easy and smooth, a far cry from his first competitive match.

Kenji’s fingers twitch, his hands itching to touch and spike and serve once more, but when Aone nudges his shoulder in silent question, Kenji shakes his head. He’s laid down his crown; the curtain has fallen on them, and the spotlight has shifted away.

He isn’t worried. The stage they’ve left behind is in good hands.

 **6:54 PM** **  
** Rival team gone, Nametsu successfully wheedles Coach into letting them interrupt training to take a full team photo with all the juniors. When that’s done, they take their leave, not wanting to disturb more than they already have. Kenji stops when they reach the gate, the rest pausing around him.

“This next step I take,” Kenji says, pulling words out of thin air, “is the start of… something. I don’t know what, but something.”

Onagawa snorts. “No shit, Futakuchi. Let’s get going.”

Kenji crosses the boundary, looking back at the amber glow of the evening sun setting the walls of the school ablaze. He snaps a final photo, then swivels back around and walks forward, away from the school. The rest follow suit.

 **8:30 PM** **  
** He’s not sure why he’s crying into his ramen, but he’s been crying for a while, and these jerks he calls friends are _laughing_ at him.

“I hate you all,” he says, frowning through his tears. Aone pats him on the back. “Except Aone.”

Nametsu laughs, also wiping tears away from her eyes. “I knew you were a giant softie, Futakuchi, but crying over a _card_?”

Kenji looks down at the card he’s holding, covered with different messages from all the members of his team, a clutter of colored ink circled around “ _Thank you, Captain. Love, The Iron Wall.”_

He sniffs again.

 **12:02 AM** ****  
12:02AM **Aone:** I’m home.  
12:02AM **Futakuchi:** Me too  
12:03AM **Obara:** same  
12:05AM **Onagawa:**  me four  
12:13AM **Nametsu:** go to sleep boys  
12:14AM **Futakuchi:** Don’t forget to shower, you stinky plebeians  
12:15AM **Onagawa:** rude, Futakuchi

Finally clean and sprawled comfortably on his bed, Kenji changes the name of the group chat to _Happy graduation!_

Come tomorrow, they’ll embark on separate journeys, away from Dateko. But moving away and moving on… doesn’t mean leaving forever.

**Author's Note:**

> at long last, my piece for the [hqsecondyears](https://haikyuu2ndyears.tumblr.com/) zine. 
> 
> Thank you [Carrie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/carriecmoney) for editing!
> 
> [tumblr (rielity)](https://rielity.tumblr.com/) | [twitter (noyabeans)](https://twitter.com/noyabeans) | [haikyuu writing journal](https://noyabeans.dreamwidth.org/)


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